Friday, December 13, 2013

30 Day Beginner's Crossfit Challenge

Week 1

Day 1: 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 10 air squats (5 rounds)
Day 2: Run 1/2 mile, 25 (or 50 if you can) air squats (3 rounds)
Day 3: 20 lunges, 10 push-ups (5 rounds)
Day 4: Longer run (or whatever it is that you like to do–biking, swimming, etc), *Add-on: 1 minute front plank, and 1 minute plank on each side
Day 5: Rest day!
Day 6: 50-100 jumping jacks, 25 air squats, 20 push-ups, for time (keep a record of your time. I have THIS app for my iPhone, but you could just use plain pen and paper and do just fine!)
Day 7: Run 1 mile for time

Week 2

Day 8: Do one air squat and take one breath, (you can breathe all you want while you do the squat or squats) do 2 and take 2 breaths etc…up to 10, and then come back down to one.
Day 9: Run 1 mile (or run in place, or jump rope, or do short sprints or something to get your blood pumping) and do 10 push-ups every 1 minute.
Day 10: 20 jumping jacks, 10 sit-ups (5 rounds)
Day 11:  Longer run (or whatever it is that you like to do–biking, swimming, etc) *Add-on: 1 minute front plank, and 1 minute plank on each side
Day 12: Rest day!
Day 13: 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 10 air squats (5 rounds)
Day 14: 50-100 jumping jacks, 25 air squats and 20 push-ups (2 rounds) for time

Week 3

Day 15: 20 lunges, 10 push-ups (5 rounds)
Day 16: Run 1 mile, for time (compare to previous time!), and do 50 jumping jacks
Day 17: 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 10 air squats (5 rounds)
Day 18: Longer run (or whatever it is that you like to do–biking, swimming, etc) *Add-on: 1 minute front plank, and 1 minute plank on each side
Day 19: Rest day!
Day 20:  50-100 jumping jacks, 25 air squats, 20 push-ups, for time (compare to previous time!), then jump rope for 3 minutes (or jump in place mimicking a jump-rope motion if you don’t have a jump rope)
Day 21: Sprint 200 meters (1/8th mile…or 1/2 way around a track), do 20 push-ups (3 rounds)

Week 4

Day 22: 20 jumping jacks, 10 sit-ups (5 rounds)
Day 23: 100 air squats, for time
Day 24: 20 lunges, 15 push-ups (5 rounds) *Scale down reps if needed
Day 25: Longer run (or whatever it is that you like to do–biking, swimming, etc.) *Add-on: 1 minute front plank, and 1 minute plank on each side
Day 26: Rest day!
Day 27: 15 push-ups, 15 sit-ups, 15 air squats (5 rounds) *Note: If you’re still struggling with this, you can do the 10/10/10 reps)
Day 28: Run 1 mile, for time (compare with your other results–have you improved??) and do 100 jumping jacks
Day 29: Leap forward (jump as far as you can with both feet) 20 times followed by 50 jumping jacks (3 rounds).
Day 30: Today’s workout will sum up what we’ve done and will take a bit longer than other days, so set aside a little bit more time than normal! For today:

*20 lunges, 15 push-ups (5 rounds)–decrease push-up reps if needed
*10 sit-ups, 10 air squats (5 rounds) — or up the reps to 15 each
*100 jumping jacks
*jump rope for 1 minute
*25 sit-ups


Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Challenge Yourself 2013

This year has been moving pretty fast. If you made a resolution and stuck with it, you are a rock star! For those of you who have made a resolution which went out the window after the first week's end of January, don't worry because there is always time to challenge yourself. All you need to do is commit to a healthy habit then you can start a new lifestyle of fitness and health. A few things that you might want to look at are dieting, workouts, and being more active.

For dieting, most people are in agreement there is no magic pill that will work. Find a diet program that works for your lifestyle. Whether your an athlete, runner, or average Joe, tailor a diet for your needs. I would recommend visiting your physician. As for me, I don't compete in boxing anymore, but I still want to be healthy as I work behind a desk and on the go. So, I've tried something new. It's called Shakeology. This product I would suggest if you are constantly on the go like me for work. It's not only a diet, but it is a cleanse system. So if your body is always feeling tires or you're getting sick, I would recommend trying out a cleanse.

Now, workouts is another thing that should be tailored to your goals and body type. This one really depends on what you tend to get out of it. When you are choosing a workout program think about your fitness level, where you want your fitness level to be, and do you want to be competing in any triathlons, marathons, hybrids, or fitness tests. The workout routine that I am currently performing to test my level of fitness is P90X. It's definitely an extreme workout, but the keys to any of these workout routines is workout at your pace and be consistent. Once you achieved the keys, you will begin to notice a difference over time. I would have to tell you make sure to give it time. Don't expect results to be over night!

Finally, to tie up the challenge yourself 2013, make healthy choices for being active. Whether it's going for a hike or taking your dog for a walk, make choices that will keep you off the couch. Granted from time to time your body does need rest, take a break when you feel your body needs it. The key to being active is to listen to your body!Well, I am thankful to my 2,993 readers of this blog. I look forward to continuing this blog this year and sharing my achievements along with a few workouts along the way.

Best,
Alex

"Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid nor dismayed for the Lord is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9

Resolution 2013


Well, here's to another year! Ready! Set! GO! Now, here's food for thought for everybody who decided to lose a few pounds or get back in shape for their resolution, just stop making plans! Now before I go any further let me clarify. When I mean stop making plans, I mean stop putting things off. For example, I'll start my routine on Monday. You know you won't if you have that mentality. What you need to do is stop thinking about it and put your plan into action. Get off the couch and go for a walk. Put down the remote and grab a weight. Don't fool yourself by saying I don't have time stop to think what you are doing. You got the clicker in your hand or a mouse just sitting in place. Now is the time! So for all those busy bodies that cannot make time here's a challenge. Start making time. If you cannot go to the gym or fit time in for P90X or Insanity try out this waight free workout. No equipment needed just you!

Weight free workout Day 1
Perform each workout in a circuit (one right after the next) doing 10-20 reps for each exercise except for pullups perform your max (do as many as you can) then repaet the circuit 2 more times

Donkey Kick
Dive-bomber Pushup
Dirty Dog
Lunge
Hip Twist Ankle Hop
Back Extension
Wide Pushup
Pull-ups
Side Crunch
Crunch
Russian Twist
Reverse Crunch
Pulse Twist
Modified V-Sit

Perform Day 1 on Monday then perform Day 2 below on Wednesday then Day 1 on Friday alternate the workout next week by performing Day 2 first then day 1, etc. On days not performing circuit make sure to keep up with cardio by hiking, biking, walking, or even kayaking. The key is stay active!

Weight Free Workout Day 2

Plyo Pushup
Crunch
Squat Jumps
Steam Engine
Elbow-to-Knee Crunch
Prone Flutter Kick
Hip Adduction
Side Leg Raise
Diamond Pushup
Pull-ups
Rotation Pushup
Dips
Superman
Bird Dog

If you have a question about the workout feel free to email me!
Alex

"Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed. "
Cavett Robert

Core Workouts 2.0


I wanted to share this post with you again because of the tremendous views it's received in the past. SO here you go. If you don't have time to fit in the AB Ripper X, here are some great ab workouts. The following workouts are abdominal workouts that you can use for your ab training. It is recommended that you perform at least three of the workouts back to back. For example, do 3 sets of 20 reps of the following:
  1. Straight Leg Crunches
  2. Seat Raises
  3. Seated Crunches

You can alternate the workouts performing them two days back to back followed by a day of rest. Here's the list:
  1. Straight Leg Crunches
  2. Seat Raises
  3. Seated Crunches
  4. Cross Leg Seated Raises
  5. Isolated Box Crunches
  6. Seated Leg Scissors
  7. Seated Leg Raises
  8. Seated Leg Circles
  9. Toe Touches
  10. Single Leg Crunches
  11. Stacked Feet Crunches
  12. Seated Twists
  13. Oblique Twists
Below is a link to a video demonstarting these wrokouts.
Abdominal Exercises for Boxers Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMdSor8_UI0
Abdominal Exercises for Boxers Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R34yAmgv-Mw
Train Hard, Train Smart.
Alex